Matthew Lee Johnston
• United States: Greater Seattle Area
• computer games
Current: Producer, PopCap Games
Past:
Owner / Chief Designer, Soni-Fi LLC
Audio Director, Microsoft
Education: Bachelor of Liberal Arts, Evergreen State College
Greater Seattle AreaMatthew Lee Johnston
Address: Greater Seattle Area
Current:
- Senior Producer at PopCap Games
Past:
- Owner / Chief Designer at Soni-Fi LLC
- Audio Director at Microsoft
- Audio Lead at Microsoft
Education:
- Evergreen State College
People Network: 141
Industry: Computer Games
Websites:
Matthew Lee Johnston’s Summary
Matthew Lee Johnston is a thirteen-year veteran of the video game industry. As Audio Director for Microsoft Game Studios, he has worked on some of the best selling game products of all time including the award winning Flight Simulator series, and 20 other game titles, 6 of which continue to sell in excess of 1 million units. While working on the Xbox mega-hit ‘Fable’, Matthew landed a deal with Danny Elfman, signifying the first time in history that a composer of that caliber has composed the theme to a video game.
While working in the Microsoft Games Division, Matthew’s expertise was tapped by the other groups within the company, most notably the Windows group. As a result, MLJ assisted in creating some of the most pervasive sound design in computing history by designing sounds heard around the world in Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows CE.
In January 2004, Matthew broke out on his own to form a new company: Soni-Fi LLC. This new venture took high-end audio design into new realms while exploring the endless possibilities for “sonifying” the world in which we live. Soni-Fi designed civic audio installations, commercial audio environments, hardware device interfaces, and specialized consumer products. The cross pollination of ideas from the virtual world to the real world - and back - is what made Soni-Fi a truly unique force in the world of design.
In November of 2006, MLJ accepted a position as Senior Producer in the Expansions and Platforms group at the world-renowned casual game juggernaut, PopCap Games. He now works tirelessly to bring the highly addictive and entertaining PopCap titles to new platforms, such as home gaming consoles and mobile devices.
Matthew Lee Johnston’s Specialties:
Design / Development / Production / Creativity
Senior Producer
PopCap Games
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Computer Games industry)
November 2006 — Present (1 year 7 months)
* Work with in-house development teams to understand the “soul” of an existing game and then identify the modifications and new features that will best take advantage of target platforms
* Create specifications to communicate a project’s vision, budget, and schedule to off-site development teams
* Manage multiple projects simultaneously to ensure projects are being developed on time, on budget, and at an acceptable level of quality and polish Bridge the gap between PopCap’s internal studio and outside developers by communicating creative feedback, bugs, and schedule expectations between the two teams
Eductional Details:
Evergreen State College
Bachelor of Liberal Arts, Music Techonology, Design, Composition, Broadcasting, Political Science., September 1991 — March 1994
- Activities and Societies:
- Music Director - KAOS 89.3 FM
Matthew Lee Johnston’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
Additional Information
Matthew Lee Johnston’s Websites:
- My Company
Matthew Lee Johnston’s Interests:
Activism - Currently serving on Seattle Parks Department's Skatepark Advisory Committee, and avidly working to help build safe, accessible, and world-class public skatepark facilities in Seattle. Music - Composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Mediocre Skateboarder Excellent Father
Matthew Lee Johnston’s Groups:
Seattle Parks Skatepark Advisory Committee
Seattle City City-Wide Skatepark Plan Task Force
Matthew Lee Johnston’s Honors:
Fable - Microsoft Game Studios:
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition - AIAS Awards
Flight Simulator - Microsoft:
Best Simulation Audio Design